Movie Poster Anaylsis

The movie posters that I chose to analyze are that of the feature film, "Halloween". The first film, released in 1978, was directed by John Carpenter. Although the movie only had a budget of a little over $300,000, it grossed over $47 million which is not bad for an independently produced movie. The second film, directed by Rob Zombie and released in 2007, cost much more to make, close to $15 million, yet went on to bring in a bit over $80 million. Although reviews were mostly negative, this film grossed higher than any other film featured in the Halloween/Michael Myers lineup. If you're interested in reading more about these movies, including their story lines and even some trivia, click here and here. Now, let's take a look at the original"Halloween" movie poster.

This poster is both simple and creative. The background is black, symbolizing the possibility that the scary parts of the film take place at night. The hand which wields the knife, a now household symbol that represents Mr. Myers himself, seems to just appear out of the darkness. This may be relevant to the fact that the main character also seems to just simply appear out of the dark during many parts of the films. The hand also shows that the veins and tendons are extremely tense, possibly foreshadowing that Michael Myers seems to have massive strength, especially when compared to a normal human being. Obviously, the pumpkin that has been carved into a jack-o-lantern signifies that indeed the film takes place around or on the date of Halloween. Yet it appears that it is not a full jack-o-lantern anymore, perhaps an allusion to the massacres portrayed in the film. Simply put, this pumpkin that had been carved out no longer represents a joyful gathering of kids dressing up and receiving candy. The text to the left of the poster, "The Night He Came Home!", suggests that whoever "He" is might possibly be superior to any other man alive, and that this is not a typical homecoming. This poster may have successfully scared the teenagers and young adults of the late 70's into seeing this particular film.


The version of "Halloween" that was released in 2007 is pictured to the left. Almost immediately it becomes obvious that this remade classic has undergone some drastic changes. The first thing that may pop out at the viewer of this poster may in fact be the large head in the middle of the image. The viewer will soon realize that this head a collage of different characters, or perhaps a better word would be victims, featured in the film. The head is apparently that of the masked Michael Myers, which is nice to see that the creators kept it classy by reimplementing the old-school look. The figure with his back turned towards the viewer has a mask in one hand and a knife in the other. The color used, sort of burnt orange if you will, seems to signify chaos, or just a general uncertainty of the future. The poster comes across as dirty and gritty, much like Mr. Myers himself. The caption at the top of the poster, "Evil Has A Destiny", suggests that Michael Myers will stop at nothing until all of he has killed everyone he needs to. Having been released in 2007, this poster directly targets my generation whom, for whatever reason, seem to have a higher tolerance for guts, blood, and vulgarity, which I believe this movie poster depicts perfectly.